Lowfat Linzer Torte Inspired Coffee Cake

Something about the snow and the rain and being trapped indoors always puts me in a baking mood. Seeing as we have had so much lousy weather so far and we are lightyears away from seeing sunshine and feeling her warm rays on our backs and our cheeks, this is not necessarily a good thing. I'm trapped indoors with three children and a burning desire to run on the treadmill as I cannot get to the gym. But a certain little blond 5 year old seems to have absconded with the treadmill key. I took a small sample just to taste... oh my was it ever divine and if I find that treadmill key today I'll cut myself a small piece. Scratch that... I'll cut myself a nice piece. Meanwhile, I am on the phone with Proform waiting to order my replacement key!

I knew by the sound of things outside my window that school would either be cancelled (again) or delayed (again) and thought I would treat the kids to something warm and freshly baked for breakfast. I poked around the cabinets and fridge and was inspired by some almonds slivers, and raspberry jam. I would make a coffee cake that would have the essence of a Linzer torte. As I created and played I really had no idea what the outcome would be... Boy were we all in for a treat! And the beauty of it is save for a small bit of canola oil there is very little fat in this breakfast (or teatime) treat!


Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/3 cup of canola oil
1 cup of yogurt (I happened to have on hand Dannon light and fit vanilla)
3/4 cup of sugar (though with plain yogurt increase to 1 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp (perhaps a smidge more!) almond extract
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
3/4 cup of seedless raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar for dusting
Non stick spray

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl of your mixer, blend together sugar, eggs and oil. Add the yogurt, baking powder, and almond extract. Slowly add in flour and then fold in the slivered almonds. Set aside.

In a small pot over medium heat add your jam. Stir until it has all melted to form the consistency of a thick sauce. Set aside.

In a cake pan coated with non-stick spray pour in half the batter. Spread batter to the edges. Then add the jam. If you can leave about an inch on the sides. (It will spread and this may not be possible.) The jam wll continue to spread while cooking. Add the remaining batter and spread to the edges.

Place pan in oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool.

Using a knife gently make sure that the cake is not sticking to the pan, and if it is use the knife to help it unstick.

Place it onto a pretty plate and sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

Snack Ideas for your car, work and when you are on the run...

Image from Going-Well.com

Snacking is my weakness... my downfall. I would easily trade a  meal for a couple of snacks. And sometimes I do. Sometimes it is not plausible for me to sit and eat a proper breakfast or lunch. And when I don't I get hungry. Ah, let's face it, even when I do I still get hungry. I could just eat all day long! And because of this I need to make sure that healthy snacks are within my reach at all times -- at home, at work and in the car. We covered the home part yesterday. I'll share some ideas for work and car.

In the summertime I keep a small Igloo cooler in the back of the SUV. I place a new ice pack in it every morning and fill it with waters, juices for the kids, and occasionally a Diet Coke for me! I also keep fresh fruit in it.

During the winter I do not need a cooler and since the kids are not spending much time outdoors I don't really keep snacks for them in the car... just a few water bottles. I, however, live in my car year round and spend more time in it than I'd care to... I take the kids to school, hop over to the gym, go to work or run errands or have an interview/story/article to cover... have to pick the kids up from school and run errands and take them to their activities and doctor's appointments and play dates... and well, you get the idea. So, I need snacks in the car. I need healthy snacks in my car. And I always make sure that I have something at hand.

Yes, I hit Starbucks more often than I should. My too-sweet and flavored coffees have been replaced by my newest obsession, Chai Lattes. When ordered with skim milk it's a sweet, delicious low fat treat! Other than that waters and snacks are in the car.

Snacks for the Car
Bottled waters
Low cal sports drinks
Sugar Free iced teas
Apples, sometimes whole, sometimes sliced, in a Ziplock bags.
Grapes are the perfect car snack!
Clementines
Nuts, pre-portioned in Ziplock bags
Granola, pre-portioned in Ziplock bags
Pretzels
Wheat Thins
Granola/Power/Protein bars
Trail mix, pre-portioned in Ziplock bags
Animal crackers are a perfect treat for when you must have something sweet. The small boxes are fun and portion controlled.

Snacks at the workplace

You can have any of the above-mentioned at the workplace. In addition, most offices have refrigerators or access to them. If you do have access to such:
yogurt
yogurt drinks
cottage cheese
cheese sticks
applesauce
Veggies/crudites and low fat dip/salad dressing

Keep a bowl of fresh fruit on your desk. It looks pretty and will keep you from wanting to grab something calorie-laden! Certain fruits like apples and clementines last longer on the shelf than some others. Clementines are preferable over oranges as they are easier to peel and less messy.

Do you have any ideas to add?

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

In keeping with what's fresh and local I decided to pick up some rhubarb. Strawberries are not quite yet in season here, but I managed to get some at the store for a steal! I wanted to use strawberries and rhubarb together but wanted something lighter than a strawberry rhubarb crisp or pie... This was the perfect treat! This cake is light and airy and, because it is made with yogurt, is incredibly moist. This would be lovely served warm with a lovely cinnamon or vanilla ice cream, or with a cup of tea in the afternoon or even with your morning coffee!

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 C sugar
1/4 C canola oil
1/2 C yogurt
2 1/4 C unbleached flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1 C rhubarb, cut into small pieces and coated with 1 tbs sugar, set aside
1 C strawberries, hulled and cut into small pieces
Optional -- 3 Tbs granulated sugar OR 3 Tbs Powdered sugar OR  3 Tbs Cinnamon sugar

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees
In mixer beat together eggs, sugar, oil, yogurt and vanilla until well blended.
Add baking powder and flour and mix well.
Fold in rhubarb and strawberries.




Grease a Springform pan with butter or non-stick spray and pour batter into pan.
If desired* sprinkle granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar over the top. Or sprinkle with powdered sugar once the cake has been baked and cooled.
Bake for 1 hour.
Let cool 20 minutes prior to serving.


*To make cinnamon sugar simply mix 3 Tbs of granulated sugar with 1 Tbs of cinnamon.

Cranberry, Raisin and Apricot Scones

Soft, flaky, light and fruity these scones are a perfect fall afternoon snack or breakfast. You can substitute any fruit you want, as much or as little, but the cranberry-raisin-apricot combination is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups of flour, plus more for rolling and cutting scones
3 Tbs. sugar
2 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/4 cup butter, cold, cut into pieces
8 oz plain yogurt (I've used vanilla in the past and got the same good results)
1 egg
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup dried apricots, cut into pieces
1/3 cup raisins

* In a large bowl stir together sugar, flour, baking powder and baking soda
* Add egg, yogurt and butter, mix well
* Add dried fruit, mix well
* If the dough is too wet add more flour 1 Tbs at a time until your dough is rollable and not too sticky
* If your dough mixture is too dry (crumbly) add water 1 Tbs at a time

* On a clean, flat surface, sprinkle some flour, then roll out the dough and cut out into circles using a cookie or biscuit cutter. Repeat until all the dough is used.

* Place on a baking sheet, about 1 inch apart, brush lightly with water, sprinkle sugar over the top and bake for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees F until lightly golden. (1o minutes in convection oven)

Let cook about 5 minutes and serve!

Yogurt Spice Muffins

I was looking for a recipe yesterday in which I could use some of my yogurt and strawberries in a muffin. I have some berries about to turn. I didn't find what I was looking for, instead I found a recipe from Food & Wine. It looked really good. I tweaked a few things to simplify it -- instead of adding nutmeg, and allspice and cloves and cinnamon I used pumpkin pie spice. I love the rich spicy flavor. I opted to cut out the butter (4 tbs) and make these a low fat muffin -- Paula, I see you shuddering over there! And to add texture and fiber I added a cup of oats. And raisins because my kids go nuts over raisins. Other than that, it's the same recipe!

These are not a light and fluffy muffin, but are dense and very filling. They were fabulous fresh out of the oven and the following morning I popped them in the microwave for 12 seconds to warm them a tad.

Ingredients:

2 cups of all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 tbs. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs
1 cup of vanilla (or plain) low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1+ tsp. vanilla extract (I always add extra!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together dry ingredients, set aside
In a large bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, yogurt and apple sauce and vanilla. Mix well, gradually add in dry ingredients, mix well until all is combined. Fold in raisins and oats.

Spoon the batter in to prepared muffin cups. (Use liners, because there is no oil in this recipe the muffins will stick!) Bake for 20-25 minutes, until read. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.